Yesterday was the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival here in China. It is an official holiday here and actually kind of a big deal. Not nearly as big as Chinese New Year but still an important family holiday. Families gather together to have a feast and spend time together. We asked Leo what he did and he said his family ate dinner together and then played Mah Jong. He actually has an older sister (rare for most Chinese families) so the feast includes Leo, his mom & dad, his sister, her husband and their daughter. It sounds a bit like our Thanksgiving, actually.
Moon Cakes are a very big part of this tradition. They are little cakes that are filled with some kind of paste - usually sweet. I have had them several times before but have never really cared for them. However, Fang brought us some as a gift from a place here in Shanghai that Leo told us is famous for making them. They were delicious! There are many different fillings in the Moon Cake but the one I liked best tasted almost like a pecan pie just without the pecans!
So we took some pictures of our Moon Cakes to share with y'all!
This box of Moon Cakes is actually one that the company John works with gave us. Some of them were OK - but there were some with beef filling. I didn't even try them because lets just say, even John had a difficult time liking them and that is unusual! :)
This is a picture of our typical lunch that Fang prepares for us. This day we had yummy noodles (they are Leah's favorite and she eats more than any of us!), broccoli, mushrooms and carrots. Some days she will cook chicken to go with it. It is really so simple but so completely great!Here are a couple of our girls enjoying their lunch in the first picture and dinner in the second picture. Notice our very cool round dinner table - it is a very traditional style Chinese table - round with a lazy susan in the middle. I love it.
OK - that is my thousand words in pictures. I'm off to bed now!
2 comments:
Hi, Cristi! I've actually been reading your blog faithfully and I figured it was time to post a comment to let you know I've been thinking of you and your family. I'm glad you are now able to feel a bit more settled. I love the round table with the lazy susan too! I didn't know that was a popular fixture for Chinese homes. Something you might just have to bring home with you, huh?
Yummy! The mooncakes look delicious. Happy Harvest Moon to you and your family.
Eliza has started school (pre-K, a special class for autism only) in our elementary school. She goes traditional hours and so far, is enjoying it. Now, hopefully, I can concentrate on dossier for #2... I'm missing having her home w/ me.
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